Two Creators of the Original Doom Are Arguing About its History on Social Media
The creators of the landmark 1993 first-person shooter Doom are publicly debating the history of their iconic game on social media. John Romero, co-creator of Doom, and Sandy Petersen, Doom’s level and game designer, have taken to X to dispute their recollections about the origins of Doom’s groundbreaking DeathMatch PvP multiplayer mode.
The discussion began when Petersen posted a thread titled “How Doom changed the world,” in which he discussed his background in the video game industry before joining id Software. The thread covered his previous work, including a real-time strategy game from 1990. However, Romero contested Petersen’s account of certain details regarding Doom’s development and the creation of its now-legendary multiplayer mode.
The dispute highlights how even the architects of gaming history don’t always align on the specific details of how their most influential works came to be. DeathMatch, one of Doom’s most revolutionary features, fundamentally changed how multiplayer gaming was conceived and executed, yet even its creators are revisiting and challenging each other’s memories of its origins. While the exchange remains a discussion among the game’s creators rather than involving external parties, it underscores the importance of preserving accurate accounts of gaming’s most pivotal moments.